


MimicVerse Rip-Off: Glass of Water

by Information_Overload



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Fluff and Angst, GO READ IT, Gen, It’s good, Light Angst, MimicVerse, it’s the knockoff brand, please, simping for Subl1m1nal 2021, spoilers for the MimicVerse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:48:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29156853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Information_Overload/pseuds/Information_Overload
Summary: The other MimicVerse Rip-off.In which, Zero finds himself in a world of his own.
Relationships: Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & Technoblade
Kudos: 4





	1. Alice in Wonderland

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Subl1m1nal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Subl1m1nal/gifts).



> Hello, from a MimicVerse fan! I wanted to create this for so long, but I’m so busy in school, it isn’t even funny anymore; this may have grammar mistakes, so very sorry, I’m on a time crunch so hopefully I’ll get back to this soon.  
> This is gonna be just be snidbits of past events prior to the MimicVerse, and what happened to Zero at the end (because I refuse to believe that ending happened).  
> Enjoy!

Zero didn’t notice when the fog faded from view; he busied himself holding his breath, waiting for the end to be near. He waited for feeling to fade, and for Techno and Mimic to start chatting- or perhaps for everything to cease.

His stomach churned with the thought of everything being over- with only being in existence for a month, and having to cease to be- in the end. Did his existence even matter? He clamped his hands down onto his cape, which was soft in his hands. He found his breath steadying just a bit, if only for a second.

 _I’m satisfied. I did what I needed to do,_ Zero thought to himself. _Both worlds get their Techno’s back, and I’ll be gone. They’ll be satisfied._

Eventually, the wait dragged on forever, and he forced himself to see the void that obviously must drag on forever before him; nothingness, forever, within his grasp, for eternity-

Trees; there were trees. He laughed. “Where am I-?”

He hiccuped- did he fail? _Did I fail?_ He couldn’t bare the thought. _Did I save no one? Are both Techno and Mimic gone?_ No, that couldn’t be right, he couldn’t have-

He screamed in his mind as he looked over the world before him; he screamed to Techno, hoping to find the soft, outspoken voice amongst the twinkle of a river that was out of his line of sight. He screamed for Mimic’s snarky words over a loud hiss of a creeper explosion. He screamed for anything other than the quiet whispers of the wind.

But no noise was sounded by any voices inside his head; only silence answered his calls.

Luckily for him, at least the world wasn’t silent; there he could make out the sounds that surrounded him, and identify where he was the the world; he climbed up a wilting tree, who’s brown bark looked as if it was about to fade. In fact, the world around him looked a little purplish grey, as if the life was slowing draining from it. Zero didn’t seem to mind though, climbing up the familiar feeling tree, as his faded, red cape billowed slightly in the calm wind. This world wasn’t the chaotic universe he was used to of Mimic’s world, nor was it the sunny world of Techno’s. He could remember the grass there- warm and fuzzy that contrasted the rough and sweltering grass of Mimic’s. This grass was something else: cool and fluffy, as if he was stepping on a cloud-

The branch snapped as he climbed, leaving him to throw his grip onto another branch, tearing his skin in the process. _A warning._ He thought. _This world is calm, yes, but that doesn’t make it friendly._ If anything, Zero wouldn’t forget that. He had seen how the other worlds were, and how similar people diverging because of how the world were. _Will I change?_ He hummed in response to himself.

Perhaps.

Zero looked at the top of the tree; he took the careful route this time, and got to the top of the tree safely, so he could look out at the world.

The world was shaky- that was the only word he could describe it as. The outermost trees from his vision were going in and out of view, fuzzy and brownish-grey blobs, with green sprinkles at the top. The more he squinted, the more they came into focus. Eventually, the trees were mostly normal, except for the faint fuzz surrounding them, and satisfied, he began taking in more.

By now, he noticed a faint smell in the air, one he’d never smelt before. It reminded him of the color purple- like the sky in this world. The pinpricks of off-white stars sprinkled in with the smell, and the vast emptiness that surrounded them. That is what this world smelt like.

And, he could have stared off at the sky forever; except for him forgetting one little thing:

The world is not friendly.

The branch snapped, and he tumbled down to the ground, landing with a crunch in his shoulder.

He stumbled to his feet, breathing heavily as he held himself against a tree. A fall for anyone else, should have killed them, but being Zero, he somehow survived the long fall. _Nah, I’m just vulnerable in a forest I don’t know, filled with monsters I don’t know; I’ll be fiiiinnne. Nothing bad ever happens when you’re injured and alone._

He pulled out his sword with his non-dominant hand; unfortunately for him, it was nowhere to be seen. He cursed; It must have stayed in the other world. _Joy._ Another world; he could barely comprehend it, but it was true. Where else had he could have gone? _Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore._

Zero could hear hissing from creepers coming closer, and he squeezed his eyes shut; taking a deep breath, he punched at a tree, taking slightly longer with one arm, and pulling out his crafting bench. A wooden sword would be all he needed, no matter how much his legs were shaking. _No one asked you, legs._ The creeper was dead before it could even hiss again.

And then came a cry from the distance.

He turned around, to come face to face with Tommy, who smashed into his chest.


	2. Goldilocks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Zero meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, double upload; note, my uploads are unscheduled, so this is kinda whenever I want.

“T-Tommy?” He said looking into the boys eyes with confusion at the scrawny boy before him.

And then he saw the sword the boy had; he looked ready to run, yet his eyes had a playful glint to them. His blue eyes were faded, too. Just like his greyed undershirt, and red jacket that was on top of it.

”How’d you know my name?”

The boy was confused, that was clearly visible, even to Zero’s lack of social skills- no, he was good at socializing. _Wait, what?_ He scanned his memories, finding that the line between himself blurred, conflicting with his understanding. He took a long moment to understand the boy’s words, and came up with the most intelligent response he could muster:

”Heh?!”

The boy, clearly finding the larger man unintimidating, swung the sword around, nearly knocking himself off balance. The boy, sheepishly, put the sword off to the side, still fidgeting with it.

“So, why’d you take my sword?” It was, in fact, a sword, but his? _Yes-_

_No._

The boy looked shocked at the accusation. “This is my sword!” He held it out, the stone tool, though weak and relatively useless, still had an etching of a name on it. “See?!”

”You’re ‘Big Man’.” Zero rubbed his face; this was definitely a Tommy. _But which one?_

The boy smiled genuinely, “The one and only.” Tommy glanced at Zero’s cape. “And I’ll take it you’re ‘Tech No Blade’.”

In a dull white, his cape did, in fact, say that. He nodded in confirmation. The boy’s face, once animated, returned to a more calm look. He took a step back; that face wasn’t on any of the other Tommy’s. Serious, yes, Tommy was capable of being serious; but the glint of mischief never left his eyes. That was Mimic Tommy; Regular Tommy was loud, boisterous. This boy right here, when it came to his confidence, leaned towards Mimic’s: the one he knew the most about. But he could see, in the boy’s stance, his love for trouble. And in his eyes, there was a calmness. It was foreign.

”What kind of name is that?” He asked snapping Zero out of his trance.

”It’s a nickname.”

_Kick his legs out from under him-_

“HEY- what was that for?!” The boy whined, on his back, sword discarded. He got up, wiping himself off. “You gotta teach me that!”

He didn’t know why he did it, but smiled a bit, humming his response, and turning away from him. “Maybe in another hundred years~”

He didn’t want this Tommy to leave; it was nice. So he waited for the boy to follow him around, walking behind him like a lost puppy.

”Just think about it- Technoblade and Big Man-“

”I’m not calling you that-“

”-Mr. InnIt-“

”Try again-“

”TommyInnIt-“

“-Too long-“

-Fine- Techno and _Tommy_ , adventuring in the wilderness!”

Zero smiled at him softly, “There you go.”

* * *

It took twenty minutes for Zero to get annoyed with him.

Twenty minutes and for the _thirtieth_ time, ‘The Blade’, had to save Tommy from dying. This time, from falling off a cliff-face.

”I’m sorry, it was the cow’s fault-“

”The cow was just standing there-“

“-It was trying to one up me-“ The boy claimed as he dangled off the cliff-face; the cow merely chewed some grass, watching the scene go down, as Techno pulled the boy from certain death with one hand, and a skeleton shooting at him.

The terrain of the land, Zero noticed, was also very different from the other world’s. While the regular world was rolling plains, and endless food supplies, the Mimic world was on extreme polar ends: one with searing heat, harsh winters, and countless deadly mobs; you’d be hard pressed to find a supportive, unman-made place of living in the Mimic world.

But this place was much more odd, with a different type of oak wood- he called it dark oak- being the primary forest so far. The biomes were much larger, but the violent mobs were fewer; and the terrain much deadlier with higher mountains, and steeper drops. This world kept him on his toes.

Zero enjoyed it, finding the complimentary nature to be refreshing; the other two worlds weren’t quite to his likings: he enjoyed the people, not the world within, yet Zero longed for adventure. The mobs in Mimic’s world were much harsher, faster, stronger, but the regular world was too passive to his liking. This felt like a good in-between. Not too harsh, not too soft.

_It was just right._

Tommy yelped as Techno caught an arrow flying towards him; he was lucky the skeleton was a bad shot. The skeleton wasn’t lucky though, and soon, a wooden sword was in between the skeleton’s rib cage. He twisted the sword effortlessly, knocking it to the ground, and, while putting on a show, dug it into the skull. Slowly, it disintegrated, but not before he relieved it of some bones and it’s arrows. It’s bow, however, was unusable.

“Oh well.” He wasn’t even sure if Tommy was trained enough to handle the bow anyways; this Tommy was younger- much younger. Possibly by a few years. He tried to wrap his mind around years, but came up blank. _I’ve only been alive for a month, and it’s felt like forever._

He couldn’t believe how unskilled Tommy was at this point: the boy threw himself in front of literal danger- _Tommy, that zombie is going to knock you off the cliff again_ \- and somehow manages to land a hit with the hilt before getting knocked down once again, and almost eaten alive. Tommy was saved by the knight in shining armor, Technoblade, once again. _He better be eternally grateful._

”Tommy, you hit it with a hilt- you need to hit it with the pointy end.”

”I know that!” He squawked. “I’m just, uh, doing it for show! Yeah!”

Zero sighed; what was he going to do with this boy?

He eventually decided Tommy was too tired to continue due to the sluggish movements the boy made. He finally had a minute where the boy wasn’t in danger, and giving credit where credit was due, Tommy wasn’t actively throwing himself in the path of zombies, arrows, creeper explosions, and off cliffs. So Techno, like the responsible adult he was, built a small shack made of dark oak, an unhinged door, with a singular torch inside.

But he found out: Tommy was gone.

“Tommy?” He yelled, leaving the shack, nervousness setting in. “Tommy?! Tommy?!”

He looked out at the cliff-face with fear as there was a waterfall, and _maybe he drowned, oh gosh-_

“TOMMY!!!”

He scanned the edge, and just as he was about to go insane, he heard-

“I’m here!” _from the cliff-side_. His voice was cheery and lighthearted, as if he didn’t wander off like a maniac.

_I’m going to strangle him. I’m going to be the second worst thing to happen to this orphan._

”Why?!” Techno said exasperated; he didn’t let on that he was just scared out of his mind, merely showing the reflection of indifference.

The boy, bright eyed responded, “Now, this is prime real estate! We got running water, access to resources, and a _plains biome_ \- all to ourselves. We’re going to be the richest people on the face of the server!”

”You do realize you’re standing on a cliff, with a large drop down, so if you’d be so kind to stand still while I get you to safety so you can rest in the building I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into-“

”No need, there’s a small cave in here; it’s warm too, cause of the small lava pool.”

Zero jumped down, inspecting the cave, sword in hand, for any mobs, but there could be none; the cave was lit due to the well-placed lave pool in the corner, far enough not to catch fire to anything of theirs. Tommy had already set up one bed, and with 9 string and two wool blocks, they were successfully able to have a safe place to sleep.

”My effort was naught; all that effort into making a hut reduced to ashes. What a scam.” He may had grumbled, but if Tommy had faced Zero before he fell asleep, he would have seen the faintest of smiles grace his lips.

Techno fell asleep peacefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, some of this integrates a bit of Minecraft into this, so when Tommy says “the face of the Server”, that is equivalent to “the face of the Earth” as in a world. Just wanted to let you guys know :).


	3. The Boy Who Cried Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Creeper? Aww man...

Zero woke the next morning several hours before Tommy.

The boy’s sleeping form moved constantly, twisting like moss over a decaying house; His movements subtle, yet still present. Zero turned from him, instead using a pickaxe to enlarge their little hovel. With the cobblestone, he made walls, and with them, baby proofed the entire area.

He made sure the small lava pool heating the house was especially guarded, stacking the walls higher than necessary; it would be near impossible for a normal child to get through, yet Zero still doubted if it would make a difference. His knowledge of the kid from the other universes allowed him to know both were very persistent- his Tommy being no exception.

He was, at the very least, comforted by the fact it would take more time and effort to get through the wall than if there was no wall.

Moving onto the next task, he set out to make the cliffside’s guardrail to be as sturdy as possible. He also made sure to double check if the cliff face was secure enough to hold their weight; by the end of it, he was sweating and exhausted from his efforts of analyzing every possible way Tommy could fall off the cliff, and to his utter demise. _Let’s say, if Tommy is out too much at night and does not go to bed on time and I’m asleep, a phantom of large built could spawn and picks him up; Tommy will be helpless against an attack to the phantom, so I need to install an overhead roof to protect the exposed opening._

And so his next task involved building a rickety ladder to grab enough dark oak to make the roof. Once he got to the trees, he began; his axe swung as each of his muscles ached from overuse. He wondered if he was being excessive. _Nahhh._

With his body stuck with the mind numbing task of hitting trees over and over again, his mind drifted off into a sea of thought. And only one thought persisted above all the others.

 _Do they miss me?_ From what he could infer, the other universes must think he was dead. Having vanished from both worlds without a trace, and the chance of death being so high for what he did, it was the only logical conclusion from their end. Zero couldn’t help but smile, knowing he defied those odds as a final f-you to the universe that decided to pop him into existence, and expect him to make the ultimate sacrifice without a second thought. _To live, to breath, and to give it all away. And I would. I have._

Zero smelt this world, _his_ world, again for the hundred time this day; he couldn’t get enough of the scent that always persisted, or the faint purplish glow that stained the night sky, or the old yellow that the sun gave off as one would expect a dying star to.

And still, if to make his friends happy- because they were his friends, even if they weren’t from the same world- he would do it again, with the same chance of death. Gladly.

But, would they for him? Techno took a moment by the tree, huffing and slumped over. Those people from the other world clearly showed some amount of care or even some love- but would that Philza give up his life for him? Would that Wilbur spare a second though? That Tommy a passing glance if he was to suddenly vanish?

And the more he thought of it, he came to a more conclusive answer.

_Yes._

No matter what universe he was in, he _knew_ their care for him extended indefinitely. Zero’s mind shamed him for being relieved they’d miss him, knowing that would bring pain, but he couldn’t help it: they’d _care_ ; enough to feel sad. Techno missed them too.

He took comfort in those thoughts as he cut down the last tree he needed; the logs stacked in his inventory neatly, and he made his way back to their little base in a slightly uplifted mood.

But like all things of this universe, everything drifted back to a balance; his smile slowly faltered till his face was stoic, and his actions carefully calculated. He meticulously turned the wood into logs, and arranged his belongings. The strings became wool and wool beds, and those beds were placed in the corner, both having a chest at the end.

The thing he noticed the most about this universe, was exactly that: the balance. If one was feeling negatively, their emotions would eventually take an upswing. If one was feeling positive, their emotions would go down hill. That seemed to be the stabilizing factor.

 _The zero._ With an infinite many universes, the one universe he was “born” into was the -1 universe; the universe near the negative axis, where negative emotions were most strongly felt. He basically had two people in his head, that Mimic-verses Techno and the +1 Techno, for his entire duration in the negative-verse. Smashing the mirror that could take one to those universes, brought back those two Techno’s to their existing universes. But with that, there was one problem: the Zero. Him. He had no universe.

 _Unless that was only two of the universes._ He began wondering if there was a +0.5 Techno, or a -0.1 Techno existing across the planes of the universes. Maybe they led the same lives, or maybe their universes diverge?

The more he thought, the fuzzier the worlds got in his head. Before he could really think about it, Tommy was awake.

”Wooow.” He stated, just as he got up. “I see you think I’m an idiot.”

”Well, considering you fell down a cliff _twice_ -“

”One of the times it was intentional-“

” _Besides the point!_ ” Techno stated. “I would rather not being hunted down for negligence, especially since you’re a minor by law.”

Tommy waved his hand. “The law doesn’t apply to me. Besides, how old even are you? And more importantly- will you teach me how to impale those skeletons like you were doing last night _because it was really cool and-“_

 _“_ Sure.” He wouldn’t admit to being slightly flattered of the boy’s praise. “I’m 17.”

Techno paused at his brain’s automatic response; _no, Techno in those worlds were 21- I’m not 17._ But for some reason, the only answer that sounded right was 17. He didn’t feel like his body was 21 anymore, with Tommy’s age having gone down quite a bit, and his body looking slightly younger after looking in a puddle- _and then his brain was providing a rough outline of a past that didn’t exist._

”Techno? You in there? Techno!”

“Yeah?”

”You spacing out again.”

”Opps.”

Their house was quite for the next few minutes, as Tommy poked and prodded at everything, muttering slight insults at the baby proofed room, and admiring the makeshift beds; Tommy had, of course, managed to fall off the one thing he hadn’t baby proofed, landing off the bed with a thud, and leaving Techno wondering if he should have wrapped the boy in bubble wrap.

 _Armor._ Techno didn’t like hurting the boy’s feelings, and a big punch in the face to the boy would be to baby him; if he didn’t show him enough trust in the boy’s skills, Tommy would eventually grow resentful or thrust himself into dangerous situations to prove his capabilities. If he got him armor, he thought, he’d make the boy feel more confident, and protected. _The boy would find armor to be more “manly” than bubble-wrap anyways._

He allowed the boy to cook the food he had gotten earlier while chopping down trees; he found the food to be decently cooked, and pleasantly surprised by the fact he didn’t get food poisoning.

Afterwards, he invited Tommy along with him to explore some of the other caves along the cliff; he honestly didn’t believe Tommy and him were going to be going deep into the caves- mostly because he blocked off the deeper caves before Tommy could check one out fully- but Tommy eventually outsmarted him, finding a hole so deep he could drop something down into it and barely hear the clank when it eventually clashed with the ground.

Despite his better judgement, due to Tommy’s bickering, Tommy and him ventured within.

”Look out a creeper!” Tommy had said for the fifth time.

The first time he had been scared, but this time he was just annoyed; he stuck out his tongue at the snickering boy, and put down another ladder so the boy could climb down with him.

”I honestly don’t know why I brought you down here with me.” He said. “I wish I hadn’t lost my receipt at Kids R Us.”

”Hey- Techno watch out!”

Techno spun on his heel quickly, unexpectedly coming face to face with darkness once again; there was not a single mob in the dark, and Techno’s face glowed with anger at the boy.

Tommy’s face suddenly looked even more punchable than usual.

Techno fell silent, deciding to ignore the boy, instead grabbing more iron and coal for armor and torches; only so much iron could be spared from the exposed rocks, and with little experience that was actually his, he was “rusty”. _Is it really rusty if you haven’t technically done it before, but you know how to do it because you are the person who knows how to do it, but you’re slightly removed which makes it foreign or-?_

Techno immersed himself into his mining, till Tommy’s voice became only a buzz in the background; Tommy’s pleads had withered out long ago, instead drifting into his thoughts and experiences.

”And so, you see, I wasn’t fully in the wrong there, and it wasn’t like I could block that punch-“

”Tommy what are you even going on about?” Techno said slightly worried. _Punched?_

“Nevermind.” Tommy said, quickly changing gears now that Techno was responding to him. “Anyways- I’m sorry.”

”What?”

”Yeah, I was going too far earlier- Sorry.”

Techno smiled.

They only had a few minutes until Tommy was bugging him again.

”Techno.

”Techno- I’m serious-

“Techno!”

Techno gave him an exasperated look, having thought that Tommy’s stupid prank was over. _Hadn’t he learnt that it was wrong to do that to someone?_

A screech.

A crash.

Screaming.

He was on the floor, head buzzing. His heart fluttered with shock, his muscles barely moving, having been overused from all the work he was doing today. _Should have took a break earlier_. Tommy was screaming in his ear, but his head _hurt_ -

“Techno!” The words finally cut through to his barely conscious mind, and instantly he was onto his feet. He placed himself in front of Tommy, making out two skeletons, a creeper hole, and a pissed off enderman looking directly at Tommy. He instantly shoved him into a corner out of the skeleton’s range and became the main target.

A swipe. Dodge. Hit, and reach. The first skeleton was beheaded with ease. The enderman, after being sidelined, came up behind Techno only to be sliced across the belly; it teleported, only to be targeted and with a quick maneuver, the enderman was no more.

The second skeleton took aim, and with Techno being stuck with his sword wedged between the enderman’s ribs, he should have been dead.

Tommy had other plans; Tommy had, boldly and stupidly, tackled the skeleton over the edge of the hole. The skeleton fell apart in an instant, taking all the damage of the fall.

Tommy was unlucky; he managed to be on a large enough platform for Techno to throw down a ladder. He could tell from the daggers that were his eyes, he was already dead. Techno began by muttering curses under his breath, and different ways he was going to make him pay; Tommy was terrified.

Techno’s hands didn’t stop shaking till they were back at their base. He didn’t plan on taking Tommy on an expedition for a long time


	4. Humpty Dumpty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur Soot had it all,  
> Wilbur Soot had a great fall.  
> All of his family and all of his friends,  
> Couldn’t bring themselves to put Soot together again...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Fluff and angst, love them, thanks.~
> 
> Also, trigger warnings at the bottom, since I don’t want to spoil it in case you don’t like spoilers, and you could always just scroll to the bottom if you need them.

Tommy and Techno stayed relatively close to their home base for three months; he worried too much about any injuries that may have been inflicted on Tommy, and besides- it wasn’t like the two were in any big rush. They’d travel as they’d please, and the short rest was okay for them, especially since their house was barely decorated.

So they did just that. Tommy and him stuck to strip mining, collecting animals, and creating a better living space. Tommy longed for a better cook, but couldn’t do much about it; neither were well versed in the kitchen, and there food was edible enough.

”We could hire a butler.” Tommy suggested.

“Oh, yeah, Tommy,” Techno said. “We’re just going to run into one in the middle of the forest. How convenient.”

”How about we kidnap one from town? I know a town up north with plenty of people-”

“As much as I’d _love_ to kidnap someone, I’m not into having a wanted picture of my face strewed across the Server; I like to think my reputation precedes me well.”

He turned to him incredulous. “Techno, if all those orphan jokes are true, I really don’t think your reputation will take that large of a dive.”

”Kidnapping and being the second worst thing to happen to orphans are completely different things-“

“-then let’s kidnap orphans!”

Tommy shouldn’t have looked so excited; Techno knew he was only joking, but having only one person to talk to for months makes sarcasm difficult to differentiate from serious talk. He watched the boy look out their shabby window with hunger for adventure, and longing to go out and meet people; his social skills were subpar, and despite his willingness to try and make conversation, it often fell flat in the face of Tommy’s extroversion.

 _All in all, kidnapping someone didn’t sound like a bad idea if Tommy would have a friend._ He scolded the thought, but it held some truth. Even he was sick of having one other person with him twenty four-seven, and being the caretaker of a Tommy strained his mental and emotional abilities; _on the plus side, I developed my anger management skills._

“Yeah, let’s go kidnap orphans.”

...

...

”Wait, what?”

* * *

“I thought you said it was up north.”

Never, _ever_ listen to Tommy; whatever he promises, _it’s not worth it_.

”Well, it’s north- _ish_. It only took me a couple weeks to get here last time-“

Techno shot up, and cast his gaze at the stuttering boy. “A few _weeks_?! Tommy, I asked for a day trip- maybe even a few- not _weeks._ We don’t have that type of material- and your swordsman’s skills are subpar at best.”

Tommy’s ego muttered back, “I thought you said I was making leaps. Technoblade never dies, more like, Technoblade always lies.”

“Yes, Tommy, leaps! For your previous skill level. You couldn’t even _hold_ the sword without almost cutting yourself.” He had improved; just not to a competent level yet. He creased his brow, and held his face. As the moon started to climb into the sky, he put down his and Tommy’s blankets, and built a creaky hut to ward out any rain and placed torches to scare off any mobs. 

“It’s not like they teach you that in school. How was I suppose to know that you don’t hold the blade towards you?”

”I don’t know, how did you know not to run with scissors?”

”You’re not suppose to run with scissors?”

Techno sighed; this was going to be a long day.

* * *

  
Techno and him were lucky enough to stumble upon a village; it was slightly off course from the village Tommy was talking about, but he didn’t mind. After all, Tommy smiled as he chatted up a storm with everyone, leaving it akin to the remains of a hurricane in his wake. Despite his carelessness, the village was fond of the boy’s explosiveness, and allowed them a reduced stay in the village’s hotel.

Techno thought it was nice, despite not being as forthcoming as Tommy; the villagers merely glanced in fear of him, at his stature, and at his shiny blade. While Tommy carried a sword, it was wooden- as he saw him play way to dangerously with a better one- and left strapped to his back.

Techno was not as careless; his sword was drawn at all times, not menacing, but as a dare to anyone who wanted to do him harm.

He just needed Tommy and himself to be safe. That was all. And if it made him look bad, then he didn’t mind. Not one bit.

He stayed inside the hotel mostly, peering out the window at the ebb and flow of villagers rushing to work. He visualized the suffocating position of working inside the village and shuddered. He couldn’t find himself in a universe where traditional work called him.

 _I prefer being work for higher._ He frowned. The words popping into existence in his head, and this time instead of leaving, the thoughts persisted. _Once worked as a rival to another potato farmer, found criminals..._

He never did those things. Unless...

 _Maybe he did._ Techno reasoned, he couldn’t have just flashed into existence, right? Maybe, just maybe, this world was creating a backstory for him. Maybe, he needed to exist previously in order to be established in this universe.

That would explain the fuzz around his memories bleeding into the others, his contradictory thoughts-

_Will I forget them?_

Zero didn’t want to think about it.

He took a walk, but not before leaving a note for Tommy- his Tommy.

_Dear Tommy,_

_Went out for fresh air; I’ll be back soon._

_-Techno._

* * *

The air hushed by the time twelve o’ clock hit; not many were abuzz, especially with the brooding stranger about. He found himself by a nearby pond, looking down at the fishes flicker about.

It was peaceful.

It was nice.

There was a well nearby to sour the mood; his mind supplied himself with the memory of a broken mirror. _At least that isn’t blurry.  
_

_..._

_Never mind, that wasn’t even that great of a memory. Actually, it was horrible._ He saw his friends tearful yet hopeful faces. One of the BadBoyHalo’s was crying; the Mimic had made fun of it, but still looked away, saddened.

But each wanted someone. _Not me._

At the same time, they still would wonder whatever happened to him. Or was he fading from their memories as well, slowly withering away like a distant dream five years too late and a week past prime.

“Techno, man!” Tommy interrupted. “I was so worried! Ha!”

”Yup.”

”Techno, you- you good there?” Tommy sat by him, also choosing to stare at the fish.

“Yup.”

”You don’t want to-?”

“-nope.”

...

”Okay.”

Tommy swung his feet above the pond, nearly kicking up water, yet never exactly closing the distance. The silence barely passed a minute, before Tommy’s mouth was off talking; Techno listened.

”You know, it’s great having you around.” He began “You’re great company, despite your obnoxious sarcasm- and I’ve still have yet to see you be the second worst thing to happen to me- in fact, you’re like the third best thing to happen to me.”

”Oh yeah?” Techno smiled. “Only third?”

”Yeah! The first is obviously me- because I’ll always be the greatest thing to happen to me- I’m amazing.”

”And the second.”

”Oh yeah!!! Today, I found a friend; his name is Tubbo and we’re best friends forever now. He says he isn’t allowed to go on adventures, but he’ll join us later when his parents allow it!”

He vaguely remember one of the Tubbo’s. What were they like again...?

“That’s nice.”

”What’s the best thing to happen to you?”

”Well...” He chose his words carefully. “I’d got to meet many people over a short timespan, and... it was hard having to leave them, due to... circumstance. But necessity called, and now, I have someone I care about a lot.”

Tommy’s eyes sparkled, “Really?! Who?”

”I found a great swordsmaker here, and I really think I found a blade as sharp as mine. It’s beautifully designed; I named her Orphan Obliterator.”

Tommy’s face fell. “I hate you.”

”Love you too, bud.”

And there conversation lulled into silence once more, but honestly, with Techno and Tommy, they never last; a splash fight broke out between the two, and before long, they came back to the hotel sopping wet, and horrified the janitor who had to mop the floor after them.

* * *

Techno didn’t mean to run into Soot at the marketplace; he just _did._ The pale boy looked up at his imposing figure with terror, and scrambled back.

”I didn’t mean to- I’m sorry-“ His eyes raced with fear motivating him, searching his surroundings for a place to escape.

”Hey, woah, you okay there?”

Techno pulled him away from prying eyes; Tommy, who saw the situation going down, distracted most of the gazes from the panicking boy, starting up a controversy on the management of illager raids.

They hid in the cool alley, as Techno helped Wilbur count back from ten, until his tears were no more than memories.

”You- you didn’t have to do that.” The boy said. “The villagers wouldn’t really mind, it’s fine you know...”

”Well I did.”

This caused Soot to pause. “Apologies, but I didn’t get a name; I go by Wilbur Soot.”

”Techno, just Techno.” He said staring at the downcast boy who just suddenly perked up, his face forcing itself into a smile to mask his sadness. “Would you mind telling me why you were about to have a panic attack back there?”

”I- I did something stupid and bad, and- and now, I’m alone.” He ducked his head in shame. “I don’t think anyone cares though; the villagers don’t like me no more. I shouldn’t even be here- I shouldn’t even be in this village. They don’t like me, they want me gone.”

Techno didn’t miss a beat. “Nothings bad enough to warrant people hating you, Wilbur; you seem like a reasonable enough guy, and you’re obviously sorry about whatever happened.”

”It’s no excuse for what I’ve caused.”

”Perhaps.” He agreed. “But that doesn’t mean you’re unforgivable.”

The alleyway grew just a smidge more cheery.

”Would you like to join my group?” Techno offered awkwardly. “We need someone who can cook.”

Wilbur smiled. “Gladly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for someone about to go into a panic attack, and general angsty throughout the chapter.


	5. Through the Looking Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this’ll be the last chapter, as I feel I’ll soon over saturated this series. Enjoy!

After obtaining Wilbur to their ragtag group, they collectively decided to keep on exploring every nook and cranny they came across. Techno didn’t mind, as Wilbur at least had his head firmly on his shoulder, and had enough brains to wrestle back Tommy’s impulsivity.

”What do you mean I can’t pet the wolfs?” Tommy said, inching closer every seconds. Wilbur grasped Tommy’s shoulder.

”Tommy!” Wilbur cried; _it seems he is quicker to yell then me,_ Techno thought. _Probably because that takes too much effort._ “Look at their eyes! They’re _hungry_. They’ll probably eat you- you know what, I think it’s a good idea to pet the wolfs. Go on Tommy.”

Wilbur watched Tommy, clearly confused at his sudden approval. He finally decided it was a bad idea to pet wolfs, instead poking his nose over at the river, running right on through as if a current couldn’t pick him up any second now. Techno tasted the frustration radiating off Wilbur.

_Life is good._

Another thought overtook his previous memories, tampering the old ones view and revising it; the Mimic-verse slowly fading, only for a childhood of stone swords and sneaking around teachers. Of leaving home 3 years ago...

But he could still make out the people there in those universes: his times with Mimic Tommy, and hugs from Mimic Philza, and if he listened closely he _barely_ could make out the endless bickering of Mimic Techno and Techno. He liked that name, more than Zero. It felt wrong in this universe, to hold an alternate name, maybe that is why he told them to call him Techno.

And soon from across the river, Tommy yelled, as another figure approached; Techno readied his sword, Wilbur his shield and Tommy scrambled for his wooden one and iron helmet. Traveling light made armor a burden but he forced Tommy to carry a helmet and chestplate at all times in case of emergencies.

Techno spoke first, “Hallo?” He, uh, wasn’t sure on what to say. Once Techno caught a glimpse of the man, he lowered his sword almost immediately.

The green hatted man with a greyed cloak stepped out, and waved. “Other travellers? I’m sorry, I usually don’t see people too often, I usually make trips by myself. The name’s Philza.”

”Techno.” He said. “This is Tommy and Wilbur.”

”I’m the leader of the group.” Tommy puffed out his chest. You can call me Big Man, or Mr. Innit.”

Philza chuckled with laughter, clearly not afraid with their ‘leader’.

”Would you mind accompanying me then, Techno, Wilbur, and Mr. Innit? It’s about to get dark, and hauling these books seem like too much of a task alone, especially across the river.”

Wilbur readily agreed, while Tommy groaned as Techno piled some books in his hands. _It_ _would be rude to not, since dusk was settling in._ Techno thought.

After crossing the river, their clothes ruined from the water, the group went on the path to the nearby village Philza lived in. He had been gone three days, Philza explained, to try and obtain some books on ancient obsidian ruins found around the Server.

”They may be gateways,” He explained. “To other worlds. Or perhaps ancient resting grounds, but no one exactly knows. I sure as hell don’t.”

As they stumbled along the pathway, he saw the smoke before Philza ever did; he put his hand on his shoulder as Philza dropped to his knees, taking in the ablazed village.

The once lively town was left in smolders, and crackling buildings were the only noise in miles. Wilbur turned away, and Tommy looked at the dying flames going quiet. It was easy to see the vicious and fast ruin the fire had brought, and that there were none left to tell the tale.

Wilbur offered his condolences and a place with them; Philza accepted.

They left for home quietly. It wasn’t a day for exploration anyways.

* * *

  
While Philza fitted in, he missed home. With time, he found it with the group but it was a slow process; living with a rowdy Tommy took a lot of effort, but he took it in strides. He quickly grew attatched to the gremlin, and took a lot of weight off Techno’s and Wilber’s plate.

Yet the man needed time to settle and so sometimes Techno or Wilbur took over.

When Tommy was with Wilbur, he and Techno bonded over their collection of books. _What a nerd,_ he would say to Philza while reading his own set. He didn’t seem to mind.

He stumbled across a book barely large enough to be found by Techno.

_Some say the well is found deep in the forest. But from it’s depth, a monster or a hero could lurk; whatever the world needs, the well will produce. Consider yourself lucky, if you live in a world without a well. It means things are balanced, as all things should be._

”What’s that, Techno?”

”Oh nothing, just a silly story.”

And all was good.


End file.
